


Hanakotoba

by pilea_peperomioides



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lady of the West (Inuyasha), Lord of the West (Inuyasha), Might add pairing later, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pilea_peperomioides/pseuds/pilea_peperomioides
Summary: A collection of short drabbles and one-shots inspired by Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers. Pairings and tags will be added as chapters are posted.





	Hanakotoba

The sound of tiny claws scratching against heavy silk brocade was loud in the sudden hush of the receiving hall. The Lady of the West shifted the child in her arms, turning trembling fingers to gently wrestle her son's claws from her robe so as not to tear the delicate embroidery. Though it was cloth of youkai make, she did not wish to take any chances. It would be tedious to remove and then find a new outer robe that complimented the eleven underlayers so well.

That it was her husband's favorite silk on her may have also held some weight.

"Saiken," she turned her attention back to the herald kneeling on the tatami, noting the stiffness of his posture even as his wide eyes avoided hers. Odd.

"My—my Lady?"

"When will my honored husband return to the shiro? I know the scouts have arrived, and he usually does not wander long after patrols these days."

The demon flinched, shaking gaze drifting from the paneling behind the Lady to lock with the aide at her side. The guards shifted uneasily on their feet. "My—my greatest apologies Honored Lady," the herald re-opened the scroll he had read from, "it is this one's m—most unfortunate regret to relay that the scouting party led by his excellence was ambushed by raiders near the Northern Pass. Your honored husband fought valiantly so that the other members of the party could return bu—"

"I did not ask you to repeat yourself, herald. The question was the time of my husband's return." The lady's frustration was beginning to erode her courtly countenance. The herald's trembling only increased and the muffled cries of her ladies in waiting were beginning to become irritating. "Is there no one in this court who can answer such a simple question?"

A weathered inuyoukai in the uniform of the imperial guard stepped forward and kneeled. At the Lady's nod, he spoke. "Honored Lady, a unit was dispatched before the noon meal to collect the Lord of the West. He is expected to return after the six bells this evening."

"Thank you, Takeshi," the Lady dismissed him, turning to her aide. "Send word to the nursery when my husband has arrived," she said, rising from her seiza before glancing at the babe in her arms and quietly continuing," it is only to be expected that a son must first meet this father before he can properly say goodbye."

She drifted from the receiving hall accompanied by rustling silk and the mournful wails of court ladies.

In the nursery, the Lady carefully laid her fussing child on the futon. Bits of red silk curled up from beneath delicate nails. In her inattention, precocious claws had managed to ruin her robe after all, red camellias unraveled from white fabric like blood on snow.

A wry smile graced the Lady's lips, _how fitting_ , before blue eyes rolled back in her head and the Lady of the West collapsed next to her child in a dead faint.

**Author's Note:**

> 500 words, exactly.
> 
> Red Camellias mean "to love" in Hanakotoba, but for warriors and samurai, they also symbolized a "noble death" meaning death in one's prime as opposed to wasting away from old age or sickness. 
> 
> Though I began writing this with the idea of Sesshomaru and Kagome as the Lord and Lady of the West, I could not shake the feeling that it could be Sesshomaru's parents as well so I chose not to tag the pairing for now.
> 
> Thanks for reading! This is my first time posting fic so it is much appreciated. -Pilea


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